The University of Montevallo concluded its 104th College Night Saturday evening with each team’s final theater production. The finale of the college night season, or “Sweet Saturday” took place in Palmer Auditorium with alumni, staff and current students all present for the festivities.
Gold Side performed with their show, “Starpower” followed by Purple Side’s “Cryptid Conspiracy: The Lost Episode”. 2023 was declared a “Purple Victory” with the Purple Side’s show winning the hearts of the audience and excelling in the sports competitions. Along with the theater production, Purple Side’s sports teams won every athletic event except men’s frisbee.
Gold Side Recap
Gold Side’s show “Starpower!” follows Kira Kelly and her rise to fame. We are introduced to her three best friends, Cameron, Cora and Grace while the friends watch a livestream of pop star Gigi Vegas. In the middle of the livestream, Cora tells Kira her song “Starpower” has almost 30,000 streams.
Later that day, Kira’s family-owned restaurant, Golden Hour Bar & Grille, hosts an open mic night. Kira decides to perform “Starpower”. While her performance was a success, Kira’s parents warn her that fame isn’t always glamorous.
Afterward, Kira’s friends tell her that “Starpower” is playing on the radio and urge her to meet with Gigi’s music producer Daniel McMichaels. Kira’s parents warn her not to go and reveal they once had a family band with Kira’s long-lost sister.
Kira decides to meet with Daniel anyways and he tells her to come with him to Lion’s Pride Music Gala. At the Gala, Kira meets Gigi who tells her there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the music industry.
Kira’s friends go through photos of Kira and find a photo of Gigi with Kira’s parents, revealing Gigi is her long-lost sister. They tell Kira and she confronts her parents about Gigi. She then goes to find Gigi and the two team up to escape their contracts and start performing together. The musical ends with the sisters performing a show on their sold-out tour.
Mr. and Ms. Montevallo
During intermission on Friday, SGA President Cody Hodge announced the winners of Mr. and Ms. Montevallo after two rounds of voting.
The Mr. and Ms. Montevallo candidates were chosen by the student body who had the opportunity to vote through FalconLink. This year, the Mr. and Ms. Montevallo finalists were Delaney Eaves, Mary Kate Middlebrook, Madison Terrell, Xander Swain, Keyshawn Talley, and Noah Terrell.
Mr. and Ms. Montevallo represent the face of the University. The winners were Mary Kate Middlebrook and Xander Swain. Middlebrook said being elected was an “extreme honor.”
“I still have no words to describe the overall feeling, but I feel on top of the world.” Swain, who won Mr. Montevallo said, “winning Mr. Montevallo felt like the culmination of my time here on campus.”
College Night Dedication
During the Gold Side intermission of Saturday night’s shows, the University dedicated the 104th College Night to police chief Tim Alexander for his outstanding service to the community.
Alexander is a Montevallo native and has served on the University of Montevallo Police Department since June 2018. He graduated from Faulkner University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in 2007 and 2019, respectively.
This dedication was especially meaningful as Alexander recalled the many memories of growing up as a young kid on UM’s campus.
“I was a Junior Falcon and attended basketball camps here in the summers,” said Alexander. “I was a towel boy that volunteered to run out on the basketball court to wipe up the sweat when players fell.”
His family roots in the campus community run deep. His mother worked her first job in the Anna Irvin Dining Hall, and his grandmother worked in Wallace Speech & Hearing.
Alexander strives to impact the lives of young people in a positive way, and one of his favorite experiences on campus is speaking to students about current events to find common ground.
He and the UMPD started the Albert P. Jones II Memorial Scholarship, which is one of his proudest accomplishments. The scholarship is awarded to students who are dedicated, like Alexander, to a field of service to humanity or to the community.
To learn more about Alexander, read his Featured Falcons interview here on UM’s website.
Purple Side Recap
Following the Mr. and Ms. Montevallo announcement, the Purple Side had their chance to perform. Purple’s show “Cryptid Conspiracy: The Lost Episode” follows Jane and Carter, two radio co-hosts who are recording for their special 100th episode of “Cryptid Conspiracy”.
As they start recording, they hear strange noises coming from the woods. The two try to run to safety but become lost in the woods. A figure named The Woods approaches them and tells the two they’re stuck in the forest. They tell them they control this separate dimension and they have seen every timeline based on the decisions they made.
The pair continue their travels and encounter the Lost Roanoke Colony. The colony informs Jane and Carter that there is a prophecy stating the “Watchtower” is a portal that can help them escape this dimension. The prophecy says, “As this is written, let it be done. The portal shall open, but only to one.”
The two also meet Alice, the protector of humans in the woods. When asked by Jane about the Watchtower, Alice says she’s never gotten it to work in her 46 years of being there, but she agrees to take the two to the Watchtower anyways.
At the Watchtower, Carter discovers a second prophecy that says, “A trio arrives and the lonely succeed. Sacrificed lovers, and prophesied bleeds.”
Jane cuts her hand to open the portal. The Woods enters the scene and tells the trio that only one person can go through. Jane decides to leave Carter. She is transported back to the opening of the musical. Jane screams at Carter and the cast that this has already happened. She screams at the audience and tries to escape the play as the curtains close.
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